While I'm still struggling with the concept of an adult Happy Meal, [1] millions of other grown-up Americans are digging into brightly colored boxes that contain a "premium" salad, bottled water, and, oh yes, a fitness-oriented treat.

In another attempt to revamp its continually tarnished image, McDonald's has partnered with responDESIGN [2] to feature its Yourself!Fitness [3] DVDs in each "Go Active! Happy Meal for Adults" (am I the only one who is appalled by these names?). There are four DVDs in the series and Bill Lamar, Chief Marketing Officer for Mickey D's, hopes that "customers collect all four DVDs to benefit from a complete workout program."

Each DVD is hosted by Maya, a virtual personal trainer [4], who walks viewers through fifteen-minute workouts focusing on either - yoga [4] "for relaxation and rejuvenation," cardio "for burning calories and boosting metabolism," core, "for strengthening the abs and spine," or strength, "for toning and tightening."

I'm sure the brains behind McDonald's would give away yoga mats and five-pound dumbbells with each Big Mac if they thought it would help ease the sting of the past few years. Not only has the company been subject to obesity lawsuits, [5] but two of its CEOs have suffered from physical traumas that seem to be suspiciously linked to a fast-food diet - Jim Cantalupo died of a sudden heart attack and his replacement, Charlie Bell, underwent surgery for colorectal cancer in 2004. Hopefully Bell has been spending some quality time with Maya.

The Go Active! Happy Meal for Adults complete with a Yourself!Fitness DVD is only available until May 22.

[via PR Newswire [6]]

Image: McDonald's